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Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also urged the people to report to the local authorities if they came across stray dogs or cats in their areas and to maintain hygiene by cleaning their hands with soap and water after coming into contact with their pet dogs or cats or strays. — Bernama picKUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The health authorities have urged anyone bitten by a dog or cat in Serian, Sarawak, between April 1 and July 17 and Kuala Sepetang, Perak, between July 4 and 17 to undergo a medical examination and, if necessary, treatment for rabies.

Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today the medical examination and treatment could be done at the nearest health clinic or hospital.

“People living in these areas are advised to take precautionary measures to check the spread of rabies by vaccinating their pet dogs or cats at the nearest veterinary clinics and avoiding contact with the animals.

“Seek immediate treatment for unhealthy or aggressive pet dogs or cats at veterinary clinics and report the matter to the Veterinary Services Department,” he said in a statement here.

Dr Noor Hisham also urged the people to report to the local authorities if they came across stray dogs or cats in their areas and to maintain hygiene by cleaning their hands with soap and water after coming into contact with their pet dogs or cats or strays.

The Veterinary Services Department yesterday reported that a dog was found to be rabies-infected in Kuala Sepetang, Taiping, on July 15.

The dog had bitten two children in the area on July 4, and they were given outpatient treatment.

The Perak Health Department, through the Larut Matang and Selama District Health Office, is taking control and preventive measures, including identifying dog-bite cases in the area, for treatment and monitoring.

No positive cases of rabies have been reported among humans in Melaka and Perak so far.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said a six-year-old boy admitted to the Melaka Hospital for having been bitten by a dog in Serian, Sarawak, had tested negative for rabies. He said the boy was in stable condition and he would be monitored because the rabies incubation period was long.

A five-year-old girl, the fourth rabies victim in Sarawak, died at the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching today. — Bernama